Confirmed: Porsche 911 ‘Dakar’ debuts this month

After much speculation, rumours, and numerous sighting of prototypes undergoing tests, not to mention a mountain-climbing expedition, Porsche has confirmed that a rugged, go-anywhere iteration of its classic and staple 911 sportscar will be made, and it’ll be christened as the Porsche 911 ‘Dakar’.

Set to debut later this month during the upcoming LA Auto Show, the Porsche 911 Dakar is poised to revive the spirit of the original go-anywhere and rugged Porsche 911 – the iconic, Dakar Rally-winning Rothmans-liveried 1985 Porsche 953, or better known as the Porsche 911 ‘4x4’.

Despite teasing these latest set of images, Porsche remains tight-lipped about technical specifications. Instead, the Stuttgart-based sportscar marque were keen to point out the gruelling off-road tests the prototype pictured was subjected to, covering terrains in both sand and snow too.

According to the model’s General Project Manager, Achim Lamparter, the development team has covered more than 500,000 KM  including 10,000 KM of off road work to fine tune the chassis. The latter included testing stints at the Château de Lastours test track in southern France, to fine-tune the car’s handling on typical rally courses and the suspension.

Besides that, this upcoming high-riding 911 was also driven across Dubai and Morocco where it withstood temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius whilst climbing 50-metre tall dunes. Also, credible sources indicate that the 911 Dakar will feature bespoke off-road tyres plus a recalibrated ABS for improved braking on gravel.

Notably, rally icon and Porsche ambassador Walter Röhrl, also joined the engineers and test drivers to develop the 911 Dakar, on the frozen lakes of Sweden. “At first I didn’t have the nerve to push the car to its limits,” said the living legend and renowned ‘Ring ace.

“But I am very satisfied with the handling on loose surfaces. Even the ABS is optimized for braking on gravel. It’s amazing how much traction the off-road tires deliver. The car is a blast to drive,” added and enthused Rohr. Clearly, Porsche is building plenty of hype ahead of the 911 Dakar’s impending debut.

More details are expected as soon as the Porsche 911 Dakar official launches at this month’s LA Auto Show on Nov 16.